You’re growing cauliflower, and you’re too lazy to tie leaves over the forming head to keep it white? Partially break a few leaves and let them rest on the developing head, for easy blanching.

When harvesting cabbage, cut the head instead of pulling the plant out of the ground. You may get another crop of smaller heads. Read the rest of this entry »

Generally, however, the vascular bundles in a straight piece of grass stem — Maize (Zea mays) being a good example — do not run parallel to the sides but weave from the inner part of the stem to the outer, returning inwards after the leaf traces have branched off. So the vascular tissue forms a series of spirals through the stem. As well as having a different arrangement in the stem, these vascular bundles are different in their individual make-up, there being no layer of cambium between the xylem and the phloem. This means that they cannot develop a woody, strengthening tissue as can dicotyledonous plants. There are exceptions, however, as in the palms and allied woody-stemmed monocotyledons. Read the rest of this entry »

How remarkable it is that the single cell that begins the life of a plant can develop in such an immense variety of ways. Looking at k a newly fertilized cell within an ovary, it is not possible to tell whether it will develop into a tiny alpine plant only a few centimetres high or a giant Californian Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) over 100 metres tall. The beginnings are the same, but as that one cell grows and divides so the characteristics of the new plant emerge. If it is to be an annual and complete its life-cycle within a year, then there is no need for elaboration of stem cells to give strength and durability. Read the rest of this entry »

Without a doubt, the most popular garden crop in America is tomatoes. Approximately 35 million families grow them. They’re growing varieties that bear tomatoes from the size of marbles to the size of grapefruits; pink ones, red ones, and even yellow ones. There are tomatoes which grow in the coolest, cloudiest, and shortest growing areas and there are those developed to withstand the heat of hot southern summers. No matter where you are, there’s a tomato variety for you.

Almost everybody grows tomatoes by setting out transplants. How you treat these young plants and transplant them has a lot to do with your harvest. For more and better tomatoes, here are my best planting tips:

Shop for the best plants

I’m amazed each spring when I stop at the greenhouses and nurseries and see people selecting tomato plants that are too tall and leggy! Perhaps they think that bigger means better; but with tomato transplants that’s not the case. Read the rest of this entry »

A good watermelon or cantaloupe needs a smooth start in warm, well-drained soil, a steady water supply especially when the melons get big, and plenty of heat at ripening time.

Anything northern gardeners can do to trap extra heat for their plants will help them grow bigger, better melons. In the warm states, a steady supply of water is most important.

Melons like well-drained soil and lots of water. It’s not a contradiction. They like to “keep their feet dry” but still get regular drinks of water. Go out to the farmstand with the biggest and sweetest melons and you’ll probably discover the melons are growing in well-drained sandy soil. If your soil is heavy clay and does not drain too well, you’ll get better melons on raised beds. Read the rest of this entry »

Vegetative propagation involves raising plants from cuttings and by methods like layering and division.

• Division Used mainly for hardy perennials (herbaceous plants) but also for other clump-forming plants (for example, many alpines). The method is to split a complete clump into a number of smaller pieces, complete with roots and top growth or buds. Do this while plants are dormant, in autumn or early spring. Usually the centre portion of a clump is discarded, as it’s the oldest part and declining in vigour. The young vigorous outer parts are retained for replanting. With most herbaceous plants, division for replanting should be of a size which fits into the palm of your hand. Before dividing a clump shake off most of the soil from around the roots. You can split large tough clumps with an axe. The two divisions can be split further in the same way. Read the rest of this entry »

Three pruning methods for roses

Pruning roses will not reward you with more flowers nextyear. However, it will control shape and maintain health. Wild (species) roses and hybrid shrub roses need no pruning — just the removal of dead wood.

• Bush types Large-flowered (hybrid tea) and cluster-flowered (floribunda) roses are pruned annually in early spring. Remove all weak growth and reduce remaining strong stems to 15-20cm/6-8in above ground level. Cut to outward-facing buds. Make sure centre of each bush is free from growth: shape bush like a vase.
• ClimbersAllow a framework of permanent stems which are trained to their supports. From these stems side shoots grow, which produce the flowers. To prune, cut back old side shoots to within one or two buds of their base in early spring. Tips of main stems can also be cut back, if becoming too tall. Read the rest of this entry »

Among the hybrids are the well loved types which produce large, well rounded flowers of a heavy texture, with spotted dorsal petals and highly glossed petals and pouches. These come in a variety of colours from lime green and clear yellow to rich dark reds and bronzes with any number of shades in between and various spots and stripes. These are the types which, although many times removed from the species, can be traced back through their pedigree to Paphiopedilum insigne and its many varieties (including the yellow form P. insigne var. sanderae), and also P. bellatulum. It was the combination of these two completely different Paphiopedilums which formed the base for the modern breeding lines. Read the rest of this entry »